When Mesaged Abakar found out her family was moving to Fargo, she looked up the city on her computer, curious about her future home but saddened to leave her current one.

Mesaged was born in Egypt to Sudanese parents. She spent most of her childhood in the capital city of Cairo with her two brothers. When she was in the fifth grade, her best friend encouraged her to start playing basketball, and her love for the sport began to flourish.

When Mesaged learned her family would be moving to the United States, she was met with a mixture of excited and grief. While she was enthusiastic about moving to a new city, she was sad to leave her familiar life for an uncertain future. Mesaged arrived in Fargo in the summer of 2012 and went straight to summer school.

To her surprise, Mesaged performed well in summer school despite knowing very little English. She met a number of friendly teachers and peers who helped her adjust to life in Fargo. Currently, Mesaged is a student at Fargo South High School. She continues to play basketball and has made many friends through her passion for sports. In the future, she hopes to graduate from college and become a lawyer.